Both sides want the FBI to come clean with more information about Hillary Clinton's emails — for wildly different reasons

Democrats and Republicans have issued rare echoes of each
other in calling on FBI Director James Comey to quickly release
as much information as possible related to his bombshell Friday
letter that the bureau had obtained further information related to the
investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email
server.

The shocking revelation led to a wave of panic on the left and a
chorus of cheers on the right. But both sides wanted extended
information released to either quench those fears or back up
their assertions.

It was perhaps the most politically consequential letter Comey
could have issued. With just 11 days to go until Election Day,
calls for additional information came flying in.

In his letter to congressional leaders, Comey said the team
in charge of looking into Clinton's use of a private email server
briefed him Thursday on new emails it found "in connection with
an unrelated case."

"The FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be
significant," Comey wrote, adding, "I cannot predict how long it
will take us to complete this additional work."

Officials later said the additional emails uncovered were in
connection with an investigation into the sexting scandal
surrounding former Rep. Anthony Weiner — the estranged husband of
top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

The calls for an immediate release of the new
information were capped by an on-the-fly press conference
convened by Clinton herself Friday evening, during which she
insisted the FBI director must release "pertinent" information
"immediately."

“The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts
immediately,” Clinton told reporters before taking
questions.

When asked about the connection to the Weiner investigation, she
said she had "heard these rumors." But until additional
information is released, "we don't know what to believe."

Earlier in the day, Clinton campaign chairman
John Podesta — who is caught up in his own email worries, as
WikiLeaks continues to dump large quantities of messages hacked
from his personal account — called on Comey to "provide the full
details of what he is now examining," saying that he "owes it to
the American people."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, insisting that there
"has always been more froth than fact on this issue," called on
Comey to be transparent.

"Director Comey has a responsibility to the public to
provide more information than a three-paragraph letter so that
the public can base their opinions on facts, not speculation,” he
said in a Friday evening statement.

"The FBI has a solemn obligation to remain neutral in political
matters – even the faintest appearance of using the agency’s
power to influence our election is deeply troubling," she wrote
in a statement. "At the very least, Director Comey must
immediately address the serious outstanding questions over what,
precisely his letter means, and what action or actions his agency
plans to take."

James
Comey.Alex Wong/Getty
Images

On the right, meanwhile, the calls themselves for transparency
from Comey were nearly identical — although they came from a
completely different viewpoint.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Republican nominee Donald Trump's
running mate, used nearly identical language to Clinton. He
tweeted that the FBI should "immediately"
release emails "pertinent" to the investigation. Top Trump
surrogate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he agreed with Podesta,
tweeting that the "American people deserve to know before
they vote."

And Sen. Ron Johnson, who has not gone out of his way to boost
Trump's candidacy, released a lengthier statement.

Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee,
said it's "in line" with Comey's "commitment" to transparency
that he should release "as much information" on the new
developments "as possible."

"In particular, there are important questions about the
nature and source of these new emails, when and how the FBI
learned of them, what investigative steps the FBI is taking to
obtain these emails, and the role of the Justice Department in
the process," he said in the statement.

He added: "Most importantly, if the FBI determines that any
additional classified information has been put at risk of
exposure to our enemies, it is vital that the intelligence
community take all appropriate steps to mitigate the potential
damage to our national security."